Travel, romance and delicious food. 7 movies in the style of “Eat, Pray, Love”

After the meeting of the New Year, you want to come to your senses a little, relax and lie on the couch, watching a beautiful movie. Today’s selection will help you in this. It will appeal to all lovers of travel, delicious food and romantic adventures.

“Hector’s Journey in Search of Happiness”, UK, Germany, Canada, South Africa, USA, 2014

Directed by Peter Chelsom.

Starring Simon Pegg, Toni Collette, Rosamund Pike.

Age limit: 18+

Hector is like a cobbler without boots. He is a psychiatrist and helps other people solve their problems, but he can’t make sense of his own life. He feels like a completely unhappy person, every day exactly copies the previous one, and this routine begins to gradually eat the hero. At one point Hector decides to abandon the established household, work and go on an adventurous journey. He intends to find his happiness. On the way Hector meets different people with different fates and different ideas about happiness. And Hector discovers the real truth about happiness.

“Hector’s Journey in Search of Happiness”

“Julie and Julia: Cooking Happiness on a Recipe”, USA, 2009.

Directed by Nora Ephron.

Starring: Meryl Streep, Amy Adams.

Age limit: 12+

An aspiring writer Julie dreams of a creative career, and while she lives with her husband in a small apartment near the railroad tracks and works as a telephone operator. One day the book “Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by the famous Julia Child falls into her hands. And Julie comes up with a brilliant idea – to cook all 524 dishes from the cookbook and blog about it. In parallel, we are shown the story of Julia Child herself – how a simple housewife was able to prove that the title of chefs can be carried not only by men. It took her years to publish her first recipe book and become famous. But will Julie’s fame come true?

“Julie and Julia: Cooking Happiness with a Recipe.”

“Under the Tuscan Sun”, USA, Italy, 2003.

Directed by Audrey Wells.

Starring: Diane Lane, Sandra Oh, Lindsay Duncan.

Age limit: 18+

The betrayal of her husband and a painful divorce turn the measured and seemingly happy life of writer Frances. Depressed, the woman stops writing. She needs a breath of fresh air, new hopes and a change of scenery. A friend persuades Frances to go on vacation to Italy. And, finding herself in a sunny, hospitable country, the writer suddenly decides to buy an old house and stay forever. Fascinated by the beauty of Italy Frances is engaged in the restoration of the house, makes new friends and falls in love. Yes, she will be disappointed more than once, but now Frances is full of strength and confidence.

“Under the Tuscan Sun.”

“Exchange Vacation”, USA, 2006.

Directed by Nancy Meyers.

Starring: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black.

Age limit: 18+

American Amanda lives in the States, British Iris lives in England. Both are going through difficult times. Amanda catches her fiancé with another, Iris learns that her unrequited love is about to get married. Both girls don’t know each other, but it’s as if there’s an invisible connection between them. They get acquainted on a guest exchange site and make an agreement – Iris will move to sunny California for two weeks, and Amanda will live in a small house in the snowy English countryside for the same amount of time. Different continents, different mentalities and traditions – each heroine learns something new, makes new acquaintances and, of course, finds love.

“Exchange vacation”

“We Bought a Zoo”, USA, 2011.

Directed by Cameron Crowe.

Starring: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson.

Age limit: 12+

A pet is a big responsibility, worries, troubles and headaches. And if you want to experience all of that tenfold, get a whole zoo! Benjamin Mee (this is a real person, on whose autobiography and the movie was made) has a hard time with the death of his wife. He is left with two children in his arms, who grieve for their mom and hardly communicate with their father.

After his son Dylan is expelled from school, Benjamin decides to leave his hometown. He buys a new house – everything is perfect in it, but there is one problem. The house comes with a free bonus… a zoo, which was closed a few years ago. There are peacocks, tigers, jaguars and even a lion.

Benjamin has a goal, he dreams of restoring the zoo, even though he has no skills and knowledge. By the way, the zoo exists to this day – it is now called the Dartmoor Zoological Park and has about 70 animals!

“We bought the zoo.”

“A Good Year”, USA, UK, 2006.

Directed by Ridley Scott.

Starring: Russell Crowe, Marion Cotillard.

Age limit: 16+

Usually, young Max spent his summer vacations in Provence, France, at his Uncle Henry’s winery. But as time went on, the trips came to naught, Max matured and became a serious and tough stock trader. One day Max receives news of his uncle’s death – all his inheritance, including the estate and hectares of vineyards, goes to his nephew. Max comes to France only with the intention to sell the estate and get a lot of money. But the meeting with the flighty Frenchwoman Fanny, communication with the locals and nostalgic memories from his childhood put Max in a deadlock.

“A Good Year”

“The French Kiss,” UK, USA, France, 1995

Directed by Lawrence Kazdan.

Starring: Meg Ryan, Kevin Kline, Timothy Hutton.

Age limit: 16+

Kate’s fiancé goes on a business trip to Paris. And just a couple of days later, he disappoints his fiancée by admitting that he has met someone else and is hopelessly in love. Kate, despite her fear of flying, goes to France. On the airplane she meets a swindler Luke, who smuggles a diamond necklace. To avoid being caught by the police, Luke throws the jewelry into Kate’s purse. Now he is attached to the flighty American woman, who has no idea about the valuable luggage.

“French Kiss.”